Page Maps

I have a page in this month's collection at Page Maps! http://www.pagemaps.com/ The page is titled "They Will Not Fit In The Bathtub!". It's a horizontal 8.5x11 side map.

The journaling reads:

It was the experience of a lifetime! Sean and Katie got to interact with the 2 young Beluga Whales at SeaWorld (Klondike and Aurek). They were able to spend 20 minutes with them. They gave them hand signals to do the tricks, got to feed them fish, and got a hug & kiss from them. Katie actually did a report on Beluga Whales earlier this year at school. They are her favorite whales, so this was extra special for her. Sean didn't stop smiling the whole time! The kids had to wear wet suits because the water temp was 52 F! They didn't mind though. The kids got the whales to tail walk, wave their fins, spin around, jump out of the water, and my favorite, spit water at them! They even got them to speak! The kids enjoyed it so much they wanted to bring them home with us! Sorry kids... THEY WILL NOT FIT IN THE BATHTUB!

Our Vacation to Florida - Day 8

We stumbled across the Beluga Whale Interaction Program at SeaWorld while checking out the park. We tried signing up for it online in the hotel room Friday morning. You have to order at least 2 days in advance. That was out... We were leaving Saturday. We made our way over to SeaWorld on Friday and decided to check with the front desk. Ray talked to a very nice guy and found out there were 2 openings on Saturday morning! He also gave us a major discount! It was a win/win. The kids got a 1 hour experience. 20 actual minutes in the water with the whales. Because they are babies, you don't actually swim with them. Their names are Klondike and Aurek. They are a grey color because they are babies. They will be completely white when they are adults. The kids had to put on wet suits because they keep the water at 52 degrees. They got to help train the whales and feed them fish. They got them to tail walk, speak, turn in the water, jump out of the water, fin wave, and many other tricks. My favorite was when the whales spit water at the kids!

This was such an experience of a lifetime!

This was our last day in Florida. We were sad to leave. It was an absolutely awesome vacation. Memories that will last forever!

We got back to Philly around 9:40pm. It was 30 degrees. I certainly didn't miss that!

Our Vacation to Florida - Day 7

We returned to SeaWorld to go back to the exhibits we liked or missed the first time. We took the Predators Tour. We went behind the scenes of the Shamu Stadium and the Shark Tank. We learned a lot about the animals. I didn't realize the tricks the animals do in the shows are all activities they perform in the wild. The trainers just work with them to train them when to perform them. Katie and I got to pet a shark. We also saw shark eggs. There were transparent and you could see the baby sharks inside.

The kids wanted us to go see the Pearl Divers. I felt bad for them. They looked bored out of their minds! The guy was blowing bubble rings and the girl kept swimming up and down. Sean thought she was cute... He actually posed with her!

One of our favorite spots was the Dolphin Nursery. Dolphins have a 12 month gestational period. They put them in the nursey in their last trimester. They also keep the new babies and thier mothers in there for 18 months while the babies nurse. They were so playful and fun.

Sean and Katie went back on the Kraken while Ray and I stayed at the Dolphin Nursery.

We got to feed the dolphins!!! I HIGHLY recommend it! It was so much fun! You get to pet them before you feed them. They are just gorgeous creatures!

Ray and I decided that we want to move down there when we retire. (only during the winter...) We are going to both work at SeaWorld!!

Our Vacation to Florida - Day 6

We picked the PERFECT day to visit Aquatica. The temp was around 82 degrees and it was sunny most of the day. Aquatica is the new water park affiliated with SeaWorld. And the best feature... the water is heated! There is an Australian theme throughout the park. All the announcements are in an Australian accent. It sounds like the Crocodile Hunter is talking to you all day.

The first ride is the Dolphin Plunge. The water tube goes through the tank of Black and White Commerson Dolphins. How neat is that!!! Ray said you go too fast to see the dolphins, but I did see some people slowing up through the tubes to try to see the dolphins. I got an AWESOME view at the underwater viewing site. The dolphins were so cute! They were playing every time we stopped by.

Ray, Sean, and Katie went on the Tassie's Twisters. You climb the tower with your tube. Once you get to the top, lightning fast tubes shoot you into a giant bowl, where you spin, and spin, and spin, until you're finally spun back out into the lazy river. I even joined everyone in the lazy river. It was so relaxing! There are 2 different routes while in the river. One route you view gorgeous fish in an aquarium and the other route you see the Black and White Commerson Dolphins.

Ray, Sean, & Katie went on the Walhalla Wave. It's a 6-story maze of twists, turns, and tunnels. (it's the dark blue tube on the left)

They have an adorable play area called Walkabout Waters. This towering, 60-foot-tall rain fortress is bursting with color, excitement, and adventures waiting to begin. It has 2 buckets at the top that dump water on unsuspecting victims below. It's fun to watch!! Ray's and Katie's favorite part is dumping water or squirting water on people below. They are so bad!!!

Taumata Racer is an insane ride! It's a high-speed competitive mat ride where up to eight racers rip down a staggeringly steep hill, head first!! Sean is on the green lane to the left, Ray is on the green lane to the right, and Katie is in the yellow lane to the right.

My favorite part of the park was the Roa's Rapids. It's an awesome adventure through a roaring sea of high tides, swirling whirlies, and gushing geysers- all at speeds that leave ordinary river rides eating this one's wake. You don't use tubes. You just get in the water and go with the water. The bottom is a little slippery so you can keep your feet on the ground and still move around the rapids.

We also went to Big Surf Shores. It's a big wave pool. It started getting me nauseous by the second set of waves. While Ray and I lounged in the pool, the kids went on Whanau Way. They dive down slides on double inner tubes.

It was an awesome day! I got a little sunburnt, but it was worth it. We had to stop by the Commerson Dolphins one last time before leaving.